Rental Family offers connection in an increasingly polarised world

Rental Family, the latest film from director Hikari (Beef), is about the most persuasive argument for the need for human interaction in a society awash with artificial (and sometimes malicious) imitators.

So, it tracks that the project started with a six-hour-long, face-to-face conversation between the director and the film's eventual star, Academy Award-winner Brendan Fraser.

"We didn't talk about the movie that much; we talked about life in general," Fraser tells ABC News.

"We felt kindred to one another, and I still feel as excited when having a chat with her now as I did then and I know that's the mark of a true friend. She's just like the sister I never had."

In Rental Family, Fraser plays protagonist Phillip Vandarploeg, an out-of-work actor trying to claw back relevancy after moving from the US to Japan. 

Barely riding off the high of a single hit advertisement seven years ago, Phillip's honest and welcoming demeanour lands him a gig as rental companion for people that need a stand-in partner, son, or just someone to hang out with.

One moment he's pretending to be a groom so his closeted bride can escape to Canada with her real partner, the next he's a "journalist" sent to interview retired actor Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto) to remind him of his golden years.

Throughout the film, Phillip essentially establishes himself as the kindest man in every room, mirroring Fraser's beloved public profile.

"He's the fish out of water, the babe in the woods, the naif in so many ways. And he's seeking connection. He wants to belong," Fraser said.

"Whatever he left behind in the United States gave him enough reason to get out of that and try again."

Things get sticky when Phillip is assigned to stand in as the father of 11-year-old Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman) in order to help her fretting mother get her into a prestigious middle school.

As Mia grows closer to the only father figure she's ever known, Phillip must grapple with telling his faux daughter the truth at the risk of shattering their connection and getting himself fired.

Rent-a-companion

The concept of companies that will rent out platonic companions to lonely locals has bubbled along in Japanese popular culture for more than 30 years.

"It's quite a common notion in Japan at this point …you do hear a lot in the media," says Mari Yamamoto (Pachinko) who plays Aiko, an employee at Rental Family that soon grows uneasy with Mia and Phillip's situation.

"A couple of years ago people were renting this guy out for little things, like, I want to go find an engagement ring for my girlfriend, can you come with me?

"He provides minimal advice, but people just want to go try out a new restaurant with somebody, and they don't want to go alone."

Takehiro Hira (Shōgun) — who plays Shinji, the steely Rental Family agency owner — spent time interviewing real rental family agency workers in Tokyo and was moved by a story about an elderly woman who rented a companion to sleep in her guest room so she wouldn't feel lonely.

"The rental family might sound like a wacky idea but humans have the amazing ability to find meanings, or connections in situations even if we have nothing to do with it," Hira tells ABC News.

While the concept of a rented companion might seem foreign to western audiences, Hikari and co-writer Stephen Blahut bring a universality to 'hired connection' with the character of Laura, a sex worker Phillip visits several times for advice and affection.

It's a touching and sensitive portrayal of an industry that is so often maligned.

"It's very similar to what rental family is doing, except, as she says in the movie, 'I help people physically. You help people emotionally'.

"It's important for people to acknowledge that there are so many different jobs, and who are we to judge what they do?"

Restoring connection

Rental Family isn't just interested in human-to-human connection but in our shared connection to our environment. 

At first the towering Phillip appears trapped by the bustling metropolis of Tokyo but as his relationships with his rental families develop, the city's lush and vibrant eccentricities are exposed.

Fraser spends weeks acclimatising to the city and polishing his Japanese language skills which he flexes frequently during the film.

"I did give myself enough time to feel like I could get good and lost. I turned the phone off, and just started walking that way, and then that way," Fraser says.

He hopes that the movie will encourage people to rely on the world around them, rather than the world they carry in their pocket.

"Don't rely on your phone or some AI thing. Ask for help. This film is about people asking for help. They're not so much engaging someone in a service to fill in as a family member, but having the courage to say, 'Hey, I want to be able to do this better, can you help me?'" Fraser says.

"Even if it's a substitute, even if it's only for a short time, it's still valuable to them."

Hikari agrees, hoping Rental Family leads to people feeling a little more united in an increasingly polarised world.

"Human connection is everything. This sounds so bizarre and so big, but this is how we make peace in the world, the connection that you create," she says.

Rental Family is in Australian cinemas from December 26.